Cat-guard.



Z. D. UNDERHILL.

CAT GUARD. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 19, 1909.

940,755. Patented Nov. 23, 1909.

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WITNESSES: MYENTOR 2 ATTOW/VEVS.

ZOE n. UNDERHILL, or BEIDFORD STATION, NEW YORK.

CAT-GUARD.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Nov, 23, 1909,

Application filed February 19,1909. Serial No. 478,975.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ZOE D. UNDERHILL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bed-- ford Station, county of Westchester, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Cat-Guards, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification. H A

The object of my invention is to provide a comparatively inexpensive guard, adapted for application to the tops of fences, etc., for preventing cats from climbing over or passing along the same.

It is a known fact that while guards in more or less common use are substantially.

effective as an obstruction to dogs, fowls and small boys, they are ineffective as against cats, who are able to step over guards of ordinary height, or squeeze between the members of the guard, or actually walk upon the elevated parts thereof. In fact, cats disa play a keen faculty for detecting the vulnerable parts of a protective device and adapting themselves thereto.

In my invention, the guard is so constructed that it is practicable to make it of sufficient height to prevent cats from step.-' ping over it, while the parts thereof are so shaped and'arranged that they cannot walk upon the top thereof and their longitudinal and transverse progress is effectually barred.

In the drawings: Figure l is a perspective view of a fence with a guard, representing one embodiment of my invention, applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a detail side view of a section of the guard of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a perspective View of a modified guard member.'

a represents the fence or like structure and b the ordinary top rail thereof. The presence of such atop rail is not, however, necessary to the application of my invention,

which is independent of the transverse dimensions 0f the top of the fence.

0, 0, etc., represent spear-shaped-upright members, each having the shape of an isosoeles triangle having its most acute angle at the top, while the plane of its extension is substantially that of the fence. q}, d, etc., represent similarly shaped members which vary from the members 0 only in that they are of somewhat different height and that the plane of their extension is transverse to that of the fence and the members 0. 'As shown in the drawings, the members 03 are of less height than the members 0, but this arrangement may be reversed, or the members may less preferably be of. the same height. The members sand 03 are preferably arranged alternately. They are supported upon posts or uprights e which, at the top, connect with the centers of the bases of said members and at the bottom are secured to a longitudinally and horizontally extending base f. The points 0, 0 d, d particularly the top ones, 0, d, are preferably sharpened.

The members 0 and 0! may be made out of flat sheet or cast metal as shown in Fig. 3, but I prefer to form the entire device of a continuous strand of wire, preferably galvanized. When the device is so constructed, I prefer to bend the same upwardly to form a part of a post; thence successively outwardly, upwardly, and downwardly, and inwardly, to form the triangular guard member; thence downwardly to form the remainder of the post (coiling the two parts of the post one upon the. other) and thence horizontally to form a continuation of the base. By this mode of construction, the guard may be made quite cheaply.

The base may be fastened to the fence, or the top rail thereof, in any suitable manner, such as by means of two pronged cleats g,- or the wire base (if the same be made of wire) may be flattened out at intervals, as at h, and nailed or screwed to the-fence.

The extreme height of the guard should be about seven and a half inches, While the shorter members should be about six inches. These dimensions may be,-of course, varied. The construction is such", however, as to permit of the guard being made of a considerable height without entailing reat expense; so high as to prevent a cat from stepping over the same. A cat cannot walk upon the top of the same, as there is presented no flat or notched surfaces but only disconnected points, on which no foot-hold could be obtained. A cat-attemptingto scale and pass over the fence can only approach the guard from in front of one of themembers c, as

transversely; and when so approached, the

member 0 effectually obstructs further passage. A cat cannot squeeze under the members 0' or d owing to the narrow space between the same and the projection of points 0 of members 0 toward members (1. A cat cannot walk longitudinally of the fence along the top rail thereof owingtothe ob preferred, the invention isnot limited to such specific form. It may also bementioned that the guard is obviously efiicacious as against other animals than cats. Indeed, a guard that constitutes an effective impediment to cats should be effective for all purposes for which a guard is intended to be applicable. i

Havin now fully described my invention, what I c aim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is: v v 1. A cat guard comprising s ear-like members spaced apart, some of whlch have points extending respectively upwardly and longitudinally and others of which have points extending respectively upwardly and transversely, and posts on wlnch the same are sustained.

2. A .cat guard comprising triangular shaped members, each having three points formed by the three angles of the triangle,-

and posts by which thesame are. sustained in elevated position.

3. A cat guard comprising three-pointed guard members of isosceles triangular sha e whose most acute angles project upwar y, and posts on which the same are respectively supported from the centers. of their shortest sides.

4. A cat guard comprising two series of spear like members extending respectivel longitudinally and transversely of the guar the individual members of the two-series beg arranged alternately lengthwise of the guard and spaced apart.

5. A cat guard comprising twovseries of guard members pointing upwardly, the individual members of which are spaced apart longitudinally of the guard, and which ex.- ten versely, and posts, one for each member, on which thesame are sustained.

downward respectively longitudinally and transcat guard comprising two series of guard members of isosceles triangular shape whose most acute angles. project upwardly and which extend respectively longitudinally and transversely and are respectively of substantially unequal height, the individual members of the two serles being alternately arranged and spaced apart longitudinall of the guard, and posts, one supporting eac 1 member.

, 7. A cat guard comprising individual sections composed of a continuous strand of wire bent successively horizontally in a direction longitudinal of the guard, thence vertically iupwardly, thence outwardly,

thence upwardly and downwardly in an mclined direction, thence inwardly toward the top of the vertical section, thence downwardly, and thence longitudinally.

8. A cat guard comprising a continuous strand of wire bent longitudinally to forma sectionof the base, "thence upwardly, thence successivel longitudinally upwardly; and in an inclined direction and again longitudinally to form a triangular guard member, thence downwardly, thence longitudinally to form another section of the base, thence upwardly, thence successively transversely, upwardl and downwardly, in an inclined directlonand again transversely to form a second trian ular guard member, and thence downward y to the base, and so on successively andcontinuously.

9. A cat guard comprising one series of guard membershaving oints extending vertically and lon itudina y and a. second series of guard mem ers havin points extending vertically and transverse y, the individual members being spaced apart. 1

In testimony of which invention, I have hereunto set m hand, at Philadelphia, on this 16th day 0 February, 1909.

ZOE D. UNDERHILL. Witnesses M. M. HAMIL'roN, E. E. WALL. 

